Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against viruses,
spyware and spam, has published its latest report on the top twelve
spam relaying countries over the last six months.
Experts at SophosLabs™ scanned all spam
messages received in its global network of spam traps, and have
revealed the top twelve spam sending countries. The United States
remains the worst offender, but is relaying substantially less of
the world's spam than it did a year ago, while Sophos also found
that over 60% of spam is now generated from zombie computers -
hijacked PCs infected by malware. This technique means that the
culprits do not have to be in the same country as the innocent
computers they are using to send their spam.
The top twelve spam relaying countries are as follows, with the
figures in brackets denoting the spam relayed by each country in
the same period in 2004:
April - September, 2005
| 1. United States |
26.35% |
(41.50%) |
| 2. South Korea |
19.73% |
(11.63%) |
| 3. China (incl Hong Kong) |
15.70% |
(8.90%) |
| 4. France |
3.46% |
(1.27%) |
| 5. Brazil |
2.67% |
(3.91%) |
| 6. Canada |
2.53% |
(7.06%) |
| 7. Taiwan |
2.22% |
(0.86%) |
| 8. Spain |
2.21% |
(1.04%) |
| 9. Japan |
2.02% |
(2.66%) |
| 10. United Kingdom |
1.55% |
(1.07%) |
| 11. Pakistan |
1.42% |
New entry |
| 12. Germany |
1.26% |
(1.02%) |
Whilst the United States, South Korea and China still account
for over 50% of all spam, the USA and Canada have done well to
reduce their contribution to the problem. Sophos has seen a sharp
drop in spam sent from North American computers due to a number of
factors, including jail sentences for spammers, tighter legislation
and better system security.
"Efforts such as ISPs sharing knowledge on how to crack down on
spammers, and authorities enforcing the CAN-SPAM legislation, have
helped North America tackle the spammers based on their doorsteps.
Some of the most prolific spammers have been forced to either quit
the business or relocate overseas as a result," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "The introduction of Windows XP
SP2 a year ago, with its improved security, has also helped better
defend home users from computer hijacking. The worry now is that
devious spammers will turn to other net-based money-making schemes,
such as spyware and identity theft malware to make their dirty
money."
Feeling the impact of international awareness and
country-specific legislation, spammers are increasingly turning to
illegitimate providers to fuel their success and their key partners
in crime are virus writers and hackers. By taking control of
unprotected PCs, hackers can relay spam, launch denial-of-service
attacks or steal user information, without the computer owners
being any-the-wiser.
"There are fortunes to be made from the dark side of the
internet, and spammers who are finding it harder to sell goods via
bulk email are likely to turn to other criminal activities,"
continued Cluley. "What the chart reveals is that spammers and
virus writers can exploit unprotected computers anywhere in the
world to send out their unwanted messages - everyone has a part to
play in the fight against spam."
Sophos recommends that computer users ensure they keep their
anti-virus software up-to date, as well as using a properly
configured firewall and installing the latest operating system
security patches, to reduce the risk of their PCs becoming part of
a zombie network. Businesses must also look to implement a best practice policy regarding email
account usage.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.